A Black Family In Long Island Receive A Letter Saying ‘You Don’t Belong Here’

It's Memorial Day 2015. I have spent much of my morning writing and thinking about those who made the ultimate sacrifice to make this great country what it is, a nation made of many diverse cultures all who believe above all else that all men are created equal and that we all deserve the natural right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These truly are the concepts that men and women of all races have given their very lives to defend, and yet there are still so many who just don't understand what it truly means to be free. The truth is no one can be truly free without granting that same right to ALL others.

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This is why it concerns me so much that these stories actually still happen in 2015. A black family in Lindenhurst, New York just this last Thursday received this letter in the mail.

The letter read in part, “Lindenhurst is 84% white population. You don’t belong here!!! Please leave Lindenhurst as soon as you can. It will be better for all of us. Find the town where there are more people like you.”

I can not tell you how much this sickens me, not as a "White American" but as an American. I just don't see why some people just can't see that this country has found it's greatness through it's diversity.

I began this story talking about Memorial Day and the great idea that is the American Dream, I can tell you that perhaps the military taught me the most about acceptance of all and brotherhood of man. When I was in basic training I remember looking at all the other men in my platoon and being from a small town thinking wow it is amazing how diverse a group of young men this is. There where white guys, black guys, asian guys, hispanic guys... you name it. It was noticeable on the surface as you looked at all of our faces. In our hearts however there were three things that were very clear and made any differences meaningless. One, that we needed each other and the guy next to you in line could very possibly be the man who saves your life. Two, that we were all there for the same reason , we believed in our country and valued it's safety. Three, that for very reasons we realized were Americans, just Americans. One team.

The great American soldier comes in all shapes sizes and colors and has since the birth of this great nation. Just as a young soldier is quick to learn on the battle field, our strength will always come from what brings us together and never from what tears us apart. There are good and bad soldiers and believe me , you WANT and NEED to weed out the bad ones but I can assure you the criteria will always come down to what is on the inside not the outside of the man, or woman.